Alan Rogers reviews: Emily White & Steve Bingham
Music Centeral presents
Emily White & Steve Bingham
Gartly Tin Hut Sat Oct 25th 2014
Review by Alan Rogers
I should declare an interest; I’m part of the team organising these Music Centeral events, and I’m immensely proud of this one. Emily & Steve have performed in Huntly before, and I was at their concert at Woodend Barn some years ago when they gave the premiere of David Ward’s “e-mails from Palestine”, which concluded the programme.
Both halves began similarly with somewhat processional pieces by Hildegard of Bingen & Guillaume de Machaut arranged for violin & sackbut, which functioned as overtures to what followed. Steve gave a flawless rendition of Michael Nyman’s “Time Lapse” from Greenaway’s “Zed & Two Noughts”, using electric violin loops to play all the parts himself. Live looping is what Steve does best, or so I thought, but his rendering of the Bach violin partita in D minor concluded the first half & was quite simply stunning. I’ve heard & seen this played by some pretty exalted fiddlers over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited by a performance. It felt dangerous, & drew a universal standing ovation from the select audience, who clearly recognised a good thing.
Music Centeral usually tries to include performances of works by local school pupils, only two this time, a charming folksy violin duet from Esther Smith, & the very quirky “Jock of Angus” by Iona Fyfe, which included some adventurous harmonies & interesting melodic twists. A pity neither young composer could attend, they would surely have felt very proud to be slotted in between Machaut’s “Douce dame Jolie” & David Ward’s “e-mails…”
Given the subject matter “e-mails…” must be considered a work of protest, setting Jane Frere’s e-mail texts to some pretty complex expressive music. It’s angry music, now recorded for the first time (release date to be announced), but so theatrical when Emily & Steve perform it that I doubt a sound-only recording could really do it justice. A version for five players exists, but we heard it from only two; their virtuosity was astounding! Instantaneous changes from violin to trombone & back again while singing from Emily, juggling two electric violins, computer, drum, high-hat & electronic foot pedals from Steve (I’m sure he used three feet at one point). This was music theatre of a high order, & really deserves a wider audience.
A lighter encore piece then to send us home a little happier, another Bartok violin duet to add to the pair played in the first half. Wonderful, & huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.
